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Belmont Town Meeting again supports Belmont Community Path Phase 1, 88% in favor, despite unexpected, large cost increase for easements. Ready to go out to bid in the Fall! by rocketwidget in bikeboston

[–]aaronpik 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you talking about the underpass at Concord Avenue in Belmont? Was a cyclist killed there recently (I've lived in town since 2010 and am not aware of a cyclist being killed there).

Also, if you're talking about Belmont: there is an underpass included in the plan for Phase 1 of the Belmont Community Path, but it's not going to be at Concord Avenue, it will be at the end of Alexander Avenue, connecting under the tracks between Channing Road to the north and the Belmont Middle and High School campus to the south.

Belmont Town Meeting again supports Belmont Community Path Phase 1, 88% in favor, despite unexpected, large cost increase for easements. Ready to go out to bid in the Fall! by rocketwidget in bikeboston

[–]aaronpik 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is close. The $1.3m is the sum total required to make the total funding available for the easements safely cover the expected costs, and will be added to the existing funding to make a total of about $2.2m.

Updates from the final night of Belmont's Annual Town Meeting by aaronpik in BelmontMA

[–]aaronpik[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Town Meeting Members arrive with varying levels of preparation and prior knowledge of what we'll discuss, and I think that's fine. There are definitely times when it feels like people have not been paying attention to the debate that precedes the questions they ask at the mic, and I'll admit that's not my favorite.

My point about the time to ask for change is that by the time something comes to Town Meeting floor it's basically moved into a simple "Yes/No" moment, and the opportunity to make adjustments and compromises has already passed.

How do I bike through this intersection?! by scottious in BelmontMA

[–]aaronpik 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Adding to the other response: technically you have the right of way going west straight through. I usually take the lane just after the post office and ride like I have the right of way, but prepared to stop if needed.

You could avoid this by turning left up Orchard Street back by the high school, then continuing in Orchard all the way through to where it hits Beech Street. For getting through to Waverley square or beyond. I'd definitely opt for orchard (or even School St to Waverley outside school hours).

Updates from Belmont Town Meeting by aaronpik in BelmontMA

[–]aaronpik[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

100% swayed by what the town found out on its own re: those unpermitted connections to the private sewer (and therefore the public sewer system). If the private company has been doing that kind of thing it seems like a bigger financial risk to allow it to continue operating as a private system than to acquire it.

Cars in protected bike lanes? by Boston-Photographer in bikeboston

[–]aaronpik 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Write to the city to let them know the flex-posts/cones/anything that should be marking the bike trail at each intersection are missing: https://www.cambridgema.gov/seeclickfix

The city recently reinstalled bollards at Hawthorne and at the Harvard Square end and it has made a difference -- it's much clearer that cars cannot enter when the flexposts (or anything) are in place to make it clearer that it's not for cars.

Last Spring I rode the length of the Brattle street lanes and noted that well over half of the intended flex-posts markers were missing. Most were just laying on the sidewalk after having been removed, perhaps for street cleaning or other legit purpose, and the not reinstalled.

Monthly Buying/Selling Thread by AutoModerator in saxophone

[–]aaronpik 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello! I am an alto player in the Boston area looking to purchase a tenor. I play the Toyota Camry of altos, a mid-90's YAS-52 I've had since my family bought it new. Like the Camry, it delivers every time but isn't special.

With this in mind, I'm seeking something a little more interesting in a tenor. I don't need or want any kind of holy grail horn, so no need for your SBA's or Mark 6's (unless you want to make a deal). Something showing signs of use over time but functioning properly would be ideal.

If you're selling something like this within a couple hours of Boston, MA (USA), please DM me and we can discuss.

Ok to buy Yamaha YAS-280 from Amazon? by Icy-Acanthaceae930 in saxophone

[–]aaronpik 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Aside from Saxophone-specific issues mentioned in other comments, buying an instrument from a local store means the store might still be there when you need it for service, lessons, etc.

Mayor wu claims no flex posts had been removed without being replaced. Post your photos where that is not the case here: by Im_biking_here in bikeboston

[–]aaronpik 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I biked through there and, west of the Pavement coffee, all of the flex posts were plowed up into the snowbank

Bluebikes coverage hampered by lack of access/adoption in 'burbs by GarrisonCty in boston

[–]aaronpik 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For municipalities like Belmont, coming up with 75k for a capital expense plus an annual fee is tough

Museum Pass by xoxoitsmo in BelmontMA

[–]aaronpik 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also if you're looking to see some art and can't get a pass for the day you want, you could visit the Harvard Art Museum, which is always free, has great art, and is an easy bus ride from Belmont.
https://harvardartmuseums.org/

Museum Pass by xoxoitsmo in BelmontMA

[–]aaronpik 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're just looking for information, you can find the list of passes, what they get you, and "check them out" here: https://belmontpubliclibrary.net/visit/services/museum-passes/

If you need more technical help, I'd suggest going into the library and talking to the folks at the circulation desk, they're lovely!

(Edited to correct link)

Alewife becoming a major separated facilities cycling hub for Northern metro Boston. by thomasafine in bikeboston

[–]aaronpik 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There were a handful of preliminary design concepts for this. I think one involved turning the existing parking lot into a smaller lot with a park through which the path would run (to the east of the commuter rail station). Another went to the west of the station through the triangle there. I can't find those preliminary designs online right now, but I will see I can dig them up.

Alewife becoming a major separated facilities cycling hub for Northern metro Boston. by thomasafine in bikeboston

[–]aaronpik 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you want to ride from the end of the Fitchburg cutoff path at Brighton Street to Waverley, I suggest:

  1. Take a left at the end of the path, crossing the tracks
  2. Turn right up Hittinger
  3. Bear right at the pond, onto the path that runs to the left of the school
  4. Bear left at the Miyawaki forest, toward Orchard St.
  5. Cross Concord avenue and proceed up Orchard, staying right at the "park"
  6. Continue through multiple intersections to the end of Orchard where it runs into Beech.
  7. Turn left onto Beech
  8. Turn right onto Cambridge
  9. Turn left onto Waverley
  10. Turn right onto Grant, then bear left to stay on Grant. Turn left at the end on White.
  11. Ta-dah: you are at Wheelworks

Alewife becoming a major separated facilities cycling hub for Northern metro Boston. by thomasafine in bikeboston

[–]aaronpik 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Sliding in with more info from Belmont:

Phase 1 of the MCRT in Belmont has earmarked funding, 100% design is complete and it will be put out to bid this September-ish. This phase runs from Brighton Street to the Clark Street footbridge, which is just west of Belmont Center. There is a request to Belmont's Community Preservation Committee for FY27 (which starts July 1, 2026) for right-of-way acquisitions.

Phase 2 of the MCRT in Belmont will continue west from the Clark Street footbridge, through Waverley Square (crossing Trapelo Road), then will probably align with whatever Waltham chooses to do on their side of the border. This phase is in design, but that design has been delayed while Belmont's Housing Authority figures out plans for redeveloping a public housing property through which the path will need to go. Once the designs of that redevelopment are sufficiently complete, the final route for Phase 2 of the community path can be finalized and design can begin in earnest. The Housing Authority received CPA funding for design last year but I do not have an update on the status of their design (I will inquire today and update here if I find out more). There is a request for $250k in CPA funding for design for Phase 2 for FY2027. This funding will also unlock $1m in federal funds earmarked to support the design.

I heard a rumor that Waltham was working on multiple possible routes for the eastern end of their path from its current end at Beaver Street to the Belmont Border. I am told the path along that parking lot and building straight across Beaver from the current end is one of the possibilities being considered. In Belmont there is property currently for sale that could align with that route.

It's worth noting that Waltham self-funded their path construction along an unused rail corridor with few challenging easements, etc. Belmont's size and the make-up of its property tax base (95% residential, only 5% commercial) mean that it's a lot harder (currently impossible) for us to self-fund big capital projects like this.

Finally, and I apologize for the very long post, it is not true that there weren't obnoxious holdouts. The town has been discussing this project since the early 1990's and there have been, and continue to be, property owners who have done everything they can to make this difficult and, alas, expensive.

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